It Was More Than A Game.
by RedLady
Summary: What if Diablo II wasn't just a game? Seven kids are sucked into the world of Diablo II and must remain there to fight till all the evil is defeated. The group begins to discover problems as well as new powers. Your reviews are my feedback.
1. How it all began

It Was More Than a Game  
  
What if Diablo II wasn't just a game? Seven kids from around our world discover what it is like being a hero and saving a world not their own. Join in on the stories of the Sorceress, the Barbarian, The Paladin, The Assassin, The Necromancer, The Amazon, and The Druid as they fight together to complete the quests set before them and defeat powerful enemies. Join them as they make friends with each other and discover the horrors they must overcome both within themselves and in their surroundings.  
  
  
  
WARNING: This is a test. Merely a test. I have not played the game Diablo or finished playing the game Diablo II. I was just introduced to it about a week or two ago so I don't know how far this story will progress . . .  
  
Diclaimer: Hey. Guess what? I don't own the idea for Diablo or Diablo II. Duh! I bet you already knew that.  
  
Introducing:  
  
Rebecca Johnson as the feisty, loudmouth Amazon  
  
Leigh-Chung Wang as the sweet, small Assassin.  
  
Steven Taylor as the nerd-like Necromancer  
  
Fernando Tambasco as the strong, outgoing Barbarian  
  
Ronald Bourgeois as the courageous, valiant Paladin  
  
Anna Deitsch as the smart, uncertain Sorceress  
  
Hans Gertrude as the easy going Druid  
  
(If you have the same first or last name, don't worry. These names are completely coincidental and are not modeled after anyone. These people do not exist and I made them up!)  
  
  
OK here's the story.  
  
  
: : :Because of the dangers that lurk within our world, I have summoned eight hero's that will hopefully be able to save our realm. Already we have lost many sister's, either because of death or an evil in their hearts. Unfortunately my power could only summon seven of the eight hero's and I fear that even with their power's and outer worldly knowledge even they may not be able to free us from this great evil. : : :  
  
I don't know how it happened. One moment my brother was showing me this new computer game and the next I was suddenly outside in the cold wet rain at night. I was confused because it was supposed to be day and it wasn't raining. I looked around, but I couldn't see much of anything. Far away I saw a faint light of what looked like a campfire. I walked over there quietly not sure of what to do. Who could have guessed that I was in for one of the most dangerous and hardest adventure of my life.  
  
I walked over there. There were two people sitting by it talking. I over heard them talking before they noticed me.   
  
"So I had just put in the game on the computer when suddenly I found myself here. Now I don't believe in magic, but how do you explain that?"  
  
"I wonder of it too."  
  
It was a huge Hispanic looking boy talking to what I think was a small oriental girl. The boy had his back to me, turned toward the girl so I couldn't see much because of his rather large body.   
  
It was the girl who looked over his shoulder and saw me.  
  
"Look." she said motioning over to me.  
  
He turned quickly and stood up his large tall body mass somewhat intimidating me.   
  
"Who are you!" he said suspiciously.  
  
"I'm, uh, Anna." I said with a little more accent then I would have liked. I had only learned English three years ago and sometimes my accent changed my speech.  
  
"Do you know where we?" the oriental girl said with bad English. She stepped out from behind the boy. She was kind off small and her hair was cut short. I figured she was like me because English seemed to be her second language.  
  
"I don't know. I just came here." I said still confused.  
  
"Let me guess." the boy said. "It has something to do with a computer game called Diablo II?"  
  
"Yes. My brother . . . He was just showing me how to play."  
  
"Yeah. Well right when we started opening the box we got here." the boy said.  
  
"You know each other?" I asked.  
  
"No." the girl said. "We just met. I'm Leigh-Chung Wang." she said shaking my hand. "But you call me Leigh like my other friends at home."  
  
I shook her hand and after I let go immediately the boy took my hand into his rather large one. "I'm Fernando." he said. It sounded like a Hispanic name I guess, even though he didn't have an accent.  
  
Suddenly a black guy ran up to us. "I'm Ron!" he immediately said. "I over heard you talking. I just came here after opening the game on my computer too."  
  
"This is strange." Fernando said.  
  
"Hey you!" a girl yelled at us from far away.  
  
"Come over here!" Fernando yelled back.  
  
We waited as the girl came over to us. She stopped to catch her breath. Then looked at us and immediately said.   
  
"OK. What the hell just happened!"   
  
Later I figured out her name was Rebecca, Becky for short.  
  
We ignored her as another person walked up to us from another direction.  
  
"Uh. Hi." he said and introduced himself as Steven. He looked like one of those geek guys complete with the glasses and the nicely ironed and button shirt.  
  
Finally we were joined by one other guy who had a thick German accent. He was Hans and I thought he looked handsome.  
  
We all sat around the fire introducing ourselves and wondering how we got here when an old woman stepped in our view. We all sat there silent when we saw her. She seemed to have a mystical air of importance about her.   
  
"Hello great strangers. I am Akara, spiritual leader of the Rouges. I know you have many questions, but you must listen to what I have to say first. A great evil has taken over the land I'm afraid. It has already been defeated once in a city far from our own, but now it has come back from the grave and is even stronger than before. I have brought you seven into our realm because many have already died trying to fight this evil. According to an ancient prophesy it is not someone from this world who can defeat this evil but from another. I have brought you here because perhaps one of you may be able to help us."  
  
"Does this have something to do with that game?" Fernando interupted.  
  
"Yeah. And would this 'evil' be called Diablo?" Becky said.  
  
"Then you know the story already. I ask you strangers will you help us?"  
  
"Just one minute." Hans said in his German accent. "Whats if we decide we do not vants to help you."  
  
"Yeah. This sounds kind of dangerous." Ron said.  
  
"It will be a dangerous fight . . ."  
  
"Wait. Wait." Becky interrupted rudely. "I don't know about anyone else. But I don't even know how to fight!"  
  
"You will each learn your special skills the longer you stay here. Plus I will give you weapons."  
  
"What if we don't want to fight!" Steven interrupted. "What if we just want to go back to our home and play our computer games . . ."  
  
"Your not scared are you?" Fernando teased.  
  
"No!" Steven argued.  
  
"Don't worry little bud. I'll protect you. I get in fights all the time. And I win them."  
  
"Unfortunately I can only send you back when Diablo is dead." Akara said.  
  
"What about those special powers and weapons you were talking about?" Fernando said.  
  
"Ah yes." Akara said and walked over to Becky first.  
  
"You have been chosen to be an Amazon warrior. Your weapon is the spear and bow. You can learn a lot at our camp. I myself will teach you. I will teach each of you. May the great eye watch over you." Akara said to Becky.  
  
"Cool!" Becky said as she was given a javelin. She went a little off practicing its use.  
  
Next Akara went to Leigh. "You know some martial arts I understand."  
  
"Yes." Leigh answered somewhat shy, but awed by the woman.  
  
"That will be much use for you in these lands. I believe you will best be played as an assassin. You are light footed and better for taking out your enemies by surprise."  
  
"I never would have guessed she would be an assassin." Fernando whispered to Steven who laughed nervously because he was next.  
  
"You will fight as a Necromancer. You will have the ability to raise the dead and cast curses as you progress through this land."  
  
"Wicked!" Fernando commented and then straightened up when she turned toward him.  
  
"You are the strongest of everybody here and you know some about fighting."  
  
"You bet!" he said proudly.  
  
"I believe you will best be fit to be a Barbarian."  
  
Leigh started to chuckle at that, but she tried to hide it.  
  
"You take your foes out by using your strength and by quickly running in, attacking, and then retreating. May you use your Barbarian skills well." He stood proudly as he tried out his new weapon.  
  
Next Akara turned to Ron.   
  
"You have a noble heart and are a natural leader. You will be called a Paladin as you use your strength and honor and magic to defeat evil. May you fight with a peaceful mind."  
  
I gulped as it was my turn. I didn't know any martial arts. I wasn't that strong or big. I wasn't even outgoing or anything. I didn't even like to fight.  
  
She looked at me and smiled as if to tell me it was all right.  
  
"You will be a sorceress as your mind is acute and you avoid fighting at all cost."  
  
Hans listened intently next to me eyeing me curiously while everybody else either tested their new skills and weapons or talked to each other about them. I shifted nervously as he looked at me, but Akara didn't seem to notice.  
  
She gave me a staff and I held it firmly in my hands. It was light, but I could feel a faint warmth coming from it. It must be magic I mused.  
  
Then she went to Hans and explained his powers of a Druid. He could call upon the forest creatures to aid him and even take form of them. I was jealous but then I realized the staff was in my hand and I held onto it firmly.  
  
"Now." Akara said to everyone as they quieted down.  
  
"Let us go to the camp. There are people there you must meet who will help you."  
  
And with that we left to go to the camp. And I wondered what sort of adventure we were in for.  
  
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I hope that wasn't too bad for you. Who knows if I'll continue. It isn't as good as a story as I had hoped. Plus I don't really know much about the game. (So why am I even writing this I don't know.) It is in the sorceress's point of view I know. But I might change from character to character throughout the story. Like all the people I made up. I tried to be as diverse as possible using a Russian, Asian, German, African American, and Hispanic. Hope you are not offended. Unfortunately I don't know much about these cultures. As I said this is only a test. So review and tell me how bad it is if you like. And if you can do better I commend you. You can even use the character names if you like. I think the idea is good I just need to work on the point of views and character development. Maybe even better dialogue. Well goodbye, Diablo players . . . . 


	2. First Encounters

The characters don't actually complete the first quest yet. Hey! They got to get used to their new world first don't they? I wasn't planning on continueing this, but since so many of you liked the idea I thought I'd continue. Who do you see yourselves as? Tell me in a review and I hope your fine with my interpretations of some of the things in the Diablo II world. : ) Of course I see myself as the sorceress explaining the reason why she is the main character. I really gotta work on building characters! Just read already!  
  
  
  
  
When we got to the Rouge encampment I was surprised to see how small it was. It was just a small camp surrounded by stone walls with a couple of female archers on each side. It was a dreary place with only one huge fire in the middle. The first person we met was Warriv. He seemed nice enough but I really didn't listen to what he was saying.  
  
The next person we met was Kashya the leader of the Rouges and I could tell right off that she didn't trust us. She spoke harshly to us and told us we needed to do more than kill a couple beasts to win her trust.  
  
"What a bitch!" Becky muttered.  
  
Finally we all gathered around Akara's tent and she spoke:  
  
"In order to test out your new skills and weapons I will send you all on your first quest. In the Blood Moor there is a place of great evil in a cave nearby filled with shadowy creatures and horrors from beyond the grave. Go and destroy these beasts. May the great eye watch over you."  
  
We all left in silence. Everyone seemed nervous except Becky.   
  
"Come on guys! We've got stuff to kill!" As if it were an everyday activity for her. She rushed off and Ron was right behind her. He seemed ready to fight as well. I walked behind Steven, Fernando, and Leigh as Hans followed close behind me.   
  
We walked past this guy named Gheed. He watched as we left and targeted me out of everybody to talk to. "Howdy partner." He said trying to put his arm around me. I backed away and gulped. "I can already tell we'll be the best of friends." He said and started following me while talking about all this merchandise he could sell me.  
  
"No thank you. I'm not interested." I said as he started listing all his weapons and armor.   
  
"Now. Now. Don't be shy. A spare weapon, a gem, a couple pieces of gold is all I ask in return for items you'll be needing for whatever quests you decide to undertake." He said following me. Hans pushed him slightly. "She says she's not interested." He said harshly and Gheed watched dumbfounded as we made out way out into the wilderness. I looked shyly at Hans. He just smiled and waved a club around ready for a fight.  
  
  
I looked around nervously and spotted a zombie of some sort in the distant, groaning and limping slowly. Immediately Fernando ran over to it and smashed it with his ax. Becky and Ron were already far ahead killing these small porcupine creatures.   
  
"I vonder where da cave is." Hans said following behind me with his club in the air.   
  
Then we ran into our first group of Fallen, I think they are called. Little red goblin-like people who's leader Shaman can raise them from the dead. We learned that you had to go after the Shamans and only after killing him could the Fallen be defeated.  
  
"Die!" Becky yelled poking at one Fallen.   
  
"Yahh!" Leigh said kicking at another.   
  
Fernando and Ron were busy trying to kill another. Then two came after me. I grimaced nervously as I sent a fireball shooting at them. They screamed and ran in opposite directions. Hans hit on the head and I nervously shot a fireball at the other. I saw Steven run to the side and start chanting something, but I didn't have time, as the very monster I had killed seemed to have risen from the dead.   
  
"It's the leader!" Fernando shouted pointing to an exceptionally tall shaman wearing a grass skirt carrying a staff of some sort trying to shoot us with fireballs. He pointed his staff at one of his dead comrades and they suddenly jumped up and came back to life! "  
  
He can bring them back to life!" I said disbelievingly.   
  
"Oh hell!" Becky yelled and charged at the leader. She was blocked by a bunch of shamans though and slashed her way through them but they kept getting risen from the dead by the leader. Ron and Fernando joined her and Hans ran to help her fight. Some zombies who were attracted to the fight, distracted Leigh. I was contemplating on whom to help when one of the Fallen came at me. I shot at it with my fire bolt then bonked it on the head when it got too close. Suddenly a skeleton finished the job by killing it with its sword.  
  
"Ah!" I yelped jumping back from the skeleton. Steven walked up next to me and patted the skeleton on the back. He looked at me and smirked. "Cool huh?" He simply said. I looked in disbelief as the skeleton ran the shaman leader through. Everybody looked on in disbelief as the skeleton wiped its blade on the grass and then went over to stand by Steven.  
  
Ron said, "What's going on?"   
  
"Is there something you need to tell us, Steven?" Fernando asked.  
  
"It's one of my spells." He said sheepishly. "I can also make golems, but that's not till later. Akara showed me." He said nervously scratching the back of his head.   
  
  
"Wicked!" Fernando said going over to Steven and patting him on the back rather hardly I'm afraid.   
  
"Wow." Leigh said still in disbelief.   
  
"That is like, the bomb!" Becky yelled. Ron looked nervously at the skeleton. "Are you sure it can be trusted?" He said skeptical.   
  
"I think so." Steven said and we all backed away nervously. It just stood there as if it didn't understand us, but when Steven started walking it immediately followed him.   
  
"I guess it knows you're the boss." Fernando said jokingly.  
  
"Creepy." Becky said under breath yet everyone could hear her.   
  
After an awkward silence Ron suddenly said "Well we might as well find this cave and clear it out." Suddenly lightning flashed and thunder rolled in the sky and rain started to pour down.   
  
Steven, I guess a little embarrassed by everyone being nervous about his skeleton somehow made it lose its life and simply fall to the ground. I watched him curiously as he did it. No one else seemed to notice except Fernando. But he didn't say anything.  
  
"I hope we find cave soon." Leigh said started to shiver in the rain.   
  
"Here." Fernando said and draped his jacket over her.   
  
"Thank you." She said sweetly and smiled up at him. He blushed and said, "Think nothing of it."  
  
We found the cave quite easily even with the rain. We all rushed into it and took a quick rest in the entrance. WE all sat down in a circle. We hadn't run into many monsters on the way. I think we were all a little nervous about what we would find in this cave though from the entrance it looked like a normal cave: dark and narrow. I thought I heard a noise coming from the inside, but it might have been my imagination.   
  
Ron took out a vial of a red Kool-Aid type substance. "  
  
What's that?" Fernando asked. We all looked over at him.   
  
"I don't know. One of the zombies dropped it before I killed him."  
  
"Oh that!" Becky said matter-of-factly. "That's just one of those health potion things. You drink it to get better and heal your wounds."  
  
"Oh yes. I've heard of those." Fernando said. "Why don't you drink it?"  
  
  
"Are you sure it's a health potion?" I asked. Everyone looked over at me curiously. I hadn't spoken much since we had found the cave. "I mean what if it's poison!" I said nervously. Everyone eyed the vial suspiciously.   
  
"Why would it be poison?" Becky said loudly. "They never had bottles of poison in the first game. Why would they have them here. I bet will find a lot of those bottles everywhere. Plus bottles for Mana too."  
  
I didn't really know what she was talking about. I had never played Diablo, which I assumed that was what she was talking about.  
  
"I think ees safe." Leigh said speaking up. "I see those vials in Akara's tent. I do not think they are poison."  
  
"So who's going to try it?" Becky asked.  
  
"I will!" Fernando said bravely. He reached for the bottle and Ron dropped it into his big hand. He uncorked the bottle and slowly lifted it to his mouth. He hesitated and looked at us nervously. Finally he quickly tossed it into his mouth and swallowed. He dropped the bottle and his eyes widened.   
  
"What is it!" I said alarmed leaning toward him. He held up his hands and looked at them strangely.   
  
"What!" Ron said.  
  
"It makes you feel better!" Fernando finally said. "And it healed my hands. I had bruised them on my sword accidentally and now look." He said showing them to Leigh.   
  
"They are better." She said running her fingers along the palm of his hands. He blushed and pulled them away. Leigh looked away shyly. I looked on in shock. What was with those two? Where they flirting? Everyone else saw it too. Becky and Ron shared a look, but didn't say anything. Steven just breathed heavily looking down at the ground. And Hans just looked at them curiously. I looked at Leigh suspiciously. I sort of liked Fernando myself, but didn't have time to think about it.  
  
"Let's go!" Ron said suddenly jumped up. Becky who didn't need to be told twice jumped up as well. Steven hesitantly got up and Leigh and Fernando followed. I pulled myself up using my staff and felt someone's hands help me. I stiffened until I realized it was only Hans. "Jumpy are we?" he asked and left me to catch up with the others.   
  
I looked back at the outside. There were monsters and demons out there to. And then there were some in this cave too. "The Den of Evil" Akara had called it. I sighed and followed the others into the darkness of the cave dreading whatever or whomever we would encounter.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Feedback is acceptable: So how'd I do. It is so hard to capture the character I want these people to be. So if you are one of these nationalities that I have used, I am trying so hard to get them to speak like a true person who just learned English as their second language and I am not trying to make fun of anybody. It is sooooooo hard. How did I do anyway? Tell me in your review. Please. : ) 


	3. Detached

Someone pointed out to me that it seems a bit unrealistic for the characters in this story, who are indeed supposed to be from our own world, to be able to adapt that quickly to the Diablo world or Sanctuary, as I believe it is called. I will touch base on this very question in this chapter. This seems to be my second best successful story. For less serious stories involving the game Diablo II, be sure to read "Diablo's a Girl", "The Assassin's Story", and "Seven Silly Saviors" or even "The Trainer". (Yes I am advertising here.) Please review. I simply do try and pour my full energy into this literary work and hope everybody can feel empathy or can feel as if he or she are in the character's shoes. Well enough of my blabbering and onto the story. Review too please! If you don't, I won't write any more chapters.  
  
  
One more note: The main character of this story, a sorceress, tells her point of the story more so in this chapter and explains more of her interpretation of her fellow friends. Just thought it was important. The feelings of the other characters are her interpretation only.  
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After resting for a bit in the entrance of the cave Ron was the first to get up.   
  
"Let's clear out this cave!"   
  
Becky jumped up excitably with bloodlust in her eyes.  
  
"Yeah!"  
  
Everyone else got up hesitantly. "Vait a minute." Hans said holding his hands up. "Who made you a leader?"  
  
Ron looked at Hans nervously.   
  
"Oh come on dude!" Becky said. "If he wants to be the leader, let him. He's a natural. Even Akara said so."  
  
Hans put up his hands in surrender. "I just hope you know vat your doing. Do vee have eh plan?"  
  
"Maybe we should split up." Fernando suggested. "Then we can cover the whole area in a shorter amount of time."  
  
I slunk over to Fernando. If we were to split up, I wanted to be with him.   
  
"No. We should stay together." Ron answered. Everyone looked at him surprised but nobody complained. We grudgingly followed Ron into the shadows.  
  
"Come on!" He yelled and we heard the noises of monsters up ahead, echoing through the cave.  
  
"I can't believe vee are doing thes." Hans said shaking in disbelief. His disbelief made me feel even more nervous than I already was. A sick dreadful feeling rose in my stomach. What if someone got really hurt?  
  
It was hard for anyone to walk very fast in the cave. The walls were so close together; we had to move in single file. Finally I knew we had come to the first set of monsters in the cave as I heard fighting in the front. Everyone was yelling and chaos ensued. Becky was poking at things left and right. Ron was jabbing people with his sword. Leigh was kicking and punching at the air it seemed. Fernando was trying to catch a Fallen to bonk it on the head with his axe. Hans, Steven, and I were the only one's not really fighting. I was scared to throw a fire bolt lest it should hit one of my friends. Hans just shook his head and bonked a Fallen with his club whenever it came to close to us. Steven stared in fear breathing heavily. He seemed to have forgotten any spells he knew and I didn't have time to remind him.  
  
The routine became Ron, Becky, and Fernando taking out the first set of monsters and Hans and Leigh killing any that got past the first three. Steven and I stayed in the rear. I didn't know about Steven but I was feeling useless. The only spell that Akara had taught me was the fire bolt spell. I would twitch my staff forward and a fire bolt would shoot out. Unfortunately I didn't really have control over it so I couldn't trust myself to hit the original target. So I just followed the first five, hoping nobody noticed my uselessness.   
  
It was strange how everybody reacted to the killing. Becky seemed to enjoy it the most. Ron though he didn't show any outward appearances of joy was always the first to go after the next monster. Fernando seemed to be in a trance simply bonking things on the head. Hans continued through the cave shaking his head as if he was fighting some internal battle. I didn't see Leigh often but only heard her yells and shouts as she performed her karate moves. Steven seemed edgy wheezing next to me.  
  
Steven and I following in the rear never really got a chance to kill anything. And guiltily I was glad. We pasted over dead bodies and corpses of monsters and the occasional Rouge.  
  
"I don't feel so good." Steven muttered covering his mouth as we gingerly walked over a multiple amount of dead bodies. I looked at him in concern. Indeed he didn't look too well as his face was pale. I wondered how the others could kill so easily without getting worried like Steven and me.   
  
"Come on Steven." I said as he stopped to lean against the wall as he stumbled dizzily. "We don't want to be separated from the others."  
  
I could hear them ahead and was scared to be away from them though I feared they had already gotten far. Yet I couldn't just leave Steven alone. I turned around to wait for him. He looked at me and then he looked above my head, his eyes widening with fear. I sucked in my breath as I realized there was some sort of being behind me.   
  
A low growl was emitted from behind me and I immediately jumped toward Steven barely missing a blow to the head by the huge fists of a huge hairy beast. I shot a fire bolt at the tall gruesome creature and grabbed Steven's arm. The creature howled with pain as the fire bolt sizzled his chest fur. Steven was panicking waving his wand around crazily chanting some incomprehensible language. I bravely shot more fire bolts at the creature, backing up, and pulling Steven with me by his arm. Finally we were backed against the wall and the creature was still stalking us, hurt but very angry. I could see Steven wasn't going to help, as he was still muttering in a panic like trance waving his wand around crazily.   
  
To make matters I felt the sting of a small arrow in my arm shot by a skeleton archer not far off. The beast loomed over us and I hit it with all my might with my staff. Steven helped me by whacking at the monster with his fist and wand. Fortunately we managed to get away from the creature without getting hit. Another arrow pierced my leg. I felt it hit me as if from a third person point of view. Everything seemed so unreal.   
  
I heard myself yelp at the hit to my leg. Steven looked down at the arrow in my leg then at the arrow in my arm, which was now covered in blood. "We're gonna die!" He said his voice squeaking. Then an arrow hit him in the shoulder. He looked fearfully down at the protruding arrow in his shoulder and fainted.   
  
I couldn't worry about him for long because the beast was still coming toward me. Lucky for me it was a slow moving creature yet it was still out to kill me. I looked over at the skeleton archer ready to shoot another arrow. I was caught between the beast and the skeleton. I ran to and fro tying to shoot fire bolts at both the monster and the skeleton. Again it was as if I was detached from my body and I saw myself not through my own eyes but from far away. Most of my fire bolts flew wildly into the wall. Yet one single fire bolt managed to hit the beast and it clutched it's stomach wound and fell over dead, I hope. I turned to the skeleton archer to see it crumble as Hans stepped out from behind it. Just then Becky and Ron ran up from one of the passages Fernando behind them. Leigh came another way from another passage and they all stopped to stare at me.   
  
"We didn't realize you were so far behind us." Ron stated. I don't know how I looked to them but they all stared at me worried. I was still in a bit of a shock to detached from my body to comprehend their worry. Leigh finally walked up to me holding a health potion similar to the one Fernando had drunk earlier. I looked at her in confusion definitely not myself at the time.  
  
She pointed to my two arrow wounds. "Drink." She ordered softly. I suddenly remembered I was hurt and a wave of pain washed over me. I grimaced and Leigh patted me on the back. She then opened the bottle and held it to my mouth. "It make you better." She insisted.   
  
  
I was skeptical because I had never heard of such a potion helping one with arrows stuck in them too much, but the pain was so great I accepted the bottle nervously anyway. I drank it nervously and everyone watched in curiosity. As I gulped the solution down the arrows somehow magically disappeared and my wounds immediately closed up. Everyone, including me, looked in awe at the places I had been hurt at just a few seconds ago. Now there was no evidence that I had ever been hurt there! It was truly a magical moment as everyone stared at me in silence.   
  
Then Fernando noticed Steven lying on the ground. He walked briskly over to Steven. "Is he OK?" Fernando asked alarmed. I leaned over Steven. "He is unconscious." I stated almost nonchalantly.   
  
"What happened to him?" Fernando asked pointing to Steven's arrow wound.   
  
"He fainted." I said simply. I shook Steven lightly. For some reason I felt it was my fault he had fainted. Guilt seemed to fill my throat and I couldn't speak.  
  
Fernando who seemed to have a genuine concern for Steven shook him though a little more violently than I had.   
  
"Wake up little buddy." He said shaking him some more.   
  
"He's hurt." Leigh said wanting Fernando to be gentler. I don't know if Fernando heard him, but he started slapping Steven lightly on the cheeks. Steven opened his eyes wearily and looked up at us all bending over him. He blushed and quickly sat up nervously. Then he grimaced as his wound reminded him that it was still there.  
  
"You OK?" Becky asked.  
  
"Yeah." He said nervously lightly touching his arrow wound them feeling the back of his head where he must of hurt it when he fainted.   
  
"Here." Leigh said shoving a health potion in his hand. He looked at it hesitantly. He didn't seem to trust it.   
  
"Go ahead." Fernando said patting Steven on the back. "Drink it." He urged. "She's found plenty of those things."  
  
He hesitantly brought the vial to his lips and gulped it down at once. After a second of waiting, he arrow in his shoulder suddenly disappeared and his wound instantly healed. The only evidence that he had ever been hit was a jagged hole in his shirt. He dropped the vial onto the ground and it shattered into a million pieces that disappeared in an instant.   
  
Steven fingered the hole in his shirt them felt the back of his head which was now healed of it's bump. Everyone again stared in awe, as the essence of the magical fluid seemed to fill the air.  
  
"Give me one" Becky ordered rudely breaking the silence holding her hand out to Leigh for a health potion. Leigh looked curiously at the girl who demanded the health potion and dropped a potion in the girl' hand never taking her eyes of her. It seemed as if she were trying to figure something out about Becky and I too wondered why Becky was so rude.  
  
  
Becky immediately swigged the fluid down and though the healing wasn't as great as Steven's or mine had been a cut on her forehead did disappear after a second. She gingerly touched her forehead and when she felt that it was gone the word "Damn!" came out of her mouth. I blushed and Fernando laughed.   
  
"Now that we're all healed, lets go!" Ron ordered and again Hans looked at him shaking his head but didn't say anything. There seemed to be some disagreement between the two.  
  
"Anna? Steven? You ready?" Steven and I nodded a little embarrassed of being in the spotlight. I gulped trying to get rid of the guilt in my throat for slowing the group down and not taking care of Steven.   
  
"Stay close to us." Ron ordered and led the way.   
  
We again started our journey single file. Hans came up to me and walked besides me holding something in my hand. I walked nervously only watching him through my peripheral vision.  
  
"Here." Hans finally said holding up some leather shirt like thing.  
  
"What is it?" I asked examining it.  
  
"Must be armor. Looks to be your same size." He said shrugging.   
  
"Thanks." I said awkwardly and pulled it over my head enjoying the second it was between my head and the outside world. Not only did it block out the dangers but it also blocked out Hans. For some reason I felt awkward around him in a way I couldn't describe. It slid over my head and I adjusted it accordingly. Hans smiled happily when he saw I was situated and walked in front of me. I gulped nervously as we traveled deeper into the cave.  
  
  
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Wow! That was a long chapter. Hope I didn't ruin anyone's image of the story. I'm trying my best. And as I said in the beginning this is merely a test. So what do you say my dear happy readers? Am I worthy? Do I live up to your expectations? I am at your mercy.  
  
I just have to ask you something else as well. How am I doing on Hans and Leigh? I afraid I am not around people with German or Oriental accents so I have to somewhat use my imagination when they talk. Hope I make it believable. That is my main concern and though some of you may tell me not to worry about it, I still find myself getting worked up about the believability aspect. I also hope I do not offend anyone who may be any of these nationalities.   
  
Review now. : ) And above all, thank you for your time. Bye now. 


	4. The Portal

Ok. Here we go with the fourth chapter of "It Was More Than Just A Game." Let see if I can keep writing in a way that is entertaining. Note: I may have changed some stuff from the game to fit my story better. Also notice the different personalities of the characters. I hope I did a acceptable job in writing each personality. If you are familiar with me than you know how I always worry about the believability concept.  
  
They finally discover how to work those portals. Hope I made a good interpretation of that. Kashya gets interesting too. And how are they going to possibly learn new skills? Read and live the adventure!  
  
  
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We continued deeper into the cave. Steven and I stayed close to the group. We all seemed to travel as one single entity. Ron and Becky were in the front. Fernando and Leigh were on one side and Hans on the other. Steven and I stayed in the back huddled close to the others. I seemed to have phased out of reality for a second till Hans pulled me back.   
  
"Anna?" He asked, his voice a mixture between teasing and concern. "You Ah right?" I was silent for a second and answered, "Yes."  
  
"I can't wait to get out of here!" Surprisingly it was Becky who said this. She seemed to been the one enjoying this adventure.   
  
We came upon the last group of fallen. Becky and Ron led the attack. Becky stabbed at them with her javelin while Ron swiped at them with his sword. Unfortunately fireballs met their attacks from Shamans hiding in the shadows. They both yelped in pain as the fireballs hit them. They backed up as Fernando and Hans stepped forward to chase the fallen while avoiding get hit from the fireball throwing Shaman. Leigh gave both Ron and Becky some health potions and immediately their burns disappeared. Then we all watched as Fernando and Hans ran after the fallen, ducking from the fireballs the shaman shot at them.   
  
"If only there was some way to cool those fire throwing Shamans down." I thought to myself. I could also throw fireballs though and I tilted my staff toward the last standing Shaman. But instead of a firebolt, a blue blob of light shot at a shaman. He instantly froze. Hans bonked it over the head with and then looked over at me in surprise. The shaman immediately broke into ice shards and melted into a puddle.   
  
"How did you do that?" Becky asked in surprise. "I don't know." I answered, but nobody had much time to wonder because immediately a bright light shone throughout the cave. We all looked up to see the source of the light, but it was too bright to see.  
  
"Ah!" Becky complained shielding her eyes.   
  
  
"Who turned on the lights?" Fernando joked. The bright light lit up the entire cave.   
  
"We are finish?" Leigh asked in wonderment.   
  
"I guess this cave is cleared of all the monsters." Ron stated. "It seems we are through with our first quest!" He continued.  
  
"Hey look!" Fernando pointed to a glittering chest. "Woah! Sweet!" Becky commented walking over to it. Fernando was right behind her followed by Ron.  
  
The four of us left just stood their dumbfounded. Becky opened the glittering chest and a gold light shone on her face. Ron and Fernando looked over her shoulder and their faces lit up upon looking at the contents in the chest. Fernando beckoned us, "You should see this!" He pulled a piece of gold out of the chest biting it and smiling goofily over our way. Everyone crept over to the chest hesitantly.   
  
"This must be gold!" Ron commented amazed.  
  
"You think, Sherlock?" Becky said and started filling her pockets with the gold coins. Hans grabbed her hand. "You get et all?" He asked. She looked guiltily up then shoved some into his hand. "Nah. We all get some. Here." He took the gold she gave him and he clenched it in his fist frowning.  
  
Fernando pulled out a leather shirt-like thing similar to the one I was wearing and slipped it over his T-shirt, then began to fill the leather shirt's pockets with gold coins. "Cool." He remarked.  
  
  
"Here Steven." Becky said pulling out a stick with a small skull attached to the top of it with a ribbon wrapped below it. "It looks like something you would use." He examined it curiously and waved it around playfully.  
  
Becky and Fernando gathered most of the gold. I didn't take any because I had no pockets or anywhere to place the gold pieces. We were ready to return to the Rogue encampment. Becky began to lead the way jingling with all the gold coins in her pockets.  
  
"I don't think vee have to valk all de vay back!" Hans yelled at her. She turned around confused. "Huh?" We all looked at Hans curiously. "I found dis!" He said holding up a scroll tied with a blue ribbon. "What is it?" Steven asked nervously.   
  
"I think et ess a teleport." He untied the ribbon and unraveled the scroll. Immediately upon opening the scroll began to glow. Hans threw it startled and backed away. The scroll now glowing a blue color flew a little ways and then stopped and just floated there. Then it grew into a big circular blue swirl of light.  
  
"Wicked!" Becky exclaimed.  
  
"The camp . . ." Leigh said after examining the blue circle closely. We all examined it and saw the faint outline of the Rogue encampment in the blue circle.  
  
"So who's gonna step through first?" Fernando asked jokingly.   
  
"What do you mean?" I asked confused. I was wary of the blue circle. It seemed to be some sort of door to the camp, but how could we be sure. "How can we trust it?" I asked speculating. Everyone eyed the blue circle suspiciously.  
  
"Oh come on!" Becky said interrupting. "It's just a portal! Let's go." She said walking towards it. Ron stopped her. "Are you sure this will take us to the Rogue Encampment?" He asked.  
  
"Uh huh. I think so." She said biting her lip and looking toward the portal hesitantly. Then she ran toward it with a determined look on her face. Before anyone could stop her, she had jumped through the portal. We all stood their shocked. Suddenly her head appeared through the circle. "Come on!" She beckoned. "It's safe!" Then her head disappeared back through portal.  
  
We all stood there in shock for a second. Finally Fernando broke the silence. "I guess we should follow." He said simply. Ron sighed as we stared at the blue swirling circle with emitted a low humming noise. "Are you sure?" Steven asked eyeing the portal suspiciously. "We could always walk back."   
  
"Come on." Fernando said patting Steven on the back. "We'll walk through together." He said leading Steven toward the portal. They stepped up to the portal and before hesitating a bit they finally stepped through.  
  
I looked back at Hans, Ron, and Leigh. Hans smiled at me. "You girls go next." Ron ordered. Hans eyed Ron, but said nothing. I looked over at Leigh and she smiled shyly at me. "Let us go." I said trying to sound brave. We both stepped up to the portal. After gathering enough courage I shut my eyes and stepped through it.   
  
When I had opened my eyes I was at the camp by some logs. The campfire was a little ways off. Becky was talking with Charsi, the blacksmith (as I figured out later), at the front of the camp. Steven and Fernando were talking by the fire leaning over this open chest. Fernando seemed to be placing some gold coins inside the chest. Leigh stepped out of the portal and stood behind me.   
  
I looked through the blue portal. Leigh shivered as we gazed through it seeing the outline of the cave. "Strange." Leigh shivered next to me. Just then Hans stepped out. He looked around amazed. His face was so funny I had to keep myself from laughing. I had never seen him so amazed on this trip. He started muttering something about the laws of Physics, but it was in half German and half English so I did not understand.   
  
Then Ron stepped out of the portal. "These portals can be very useful to us later." He said simply and walked off.  
  
We all met up later at Akara's tent on the side of the Rogue encampment. "We have completed the quest." Ron announced.   
  
"I thank you outlanders." Akara answered smiling gratefully. "I knew it was not a mistake to bring you here." Hans sighed next to me at Akara's speech. I looked over at him curiously.   
Akara continued to explain how we may store anything we wish to keep or buy in a the chest near the fire supplied by Warriv. She explained the currency of this land and about health potions and mana potions. Her speech was long and I soon toned her out though I knew it would be important to listen to her. I phased out of reality again thinking about the horrible predicament we were in. I wished to go back home instead of stay here though I was curious to see how this land operated. Already the health potions and the portal had amazed me.   
  
Becky's voice brought me back to reality. "You should have told us this sooner. We had to figure out how to use the health potions and the portal on our own. I wasn't scared but these guys were." She said beckoning to us teasing.  
  
"Me? Scared?" Fernando said sarcastically in good humor. "Never!"   
  
We all laughed nervously.  
  
"I would have told you sooner, but I did not know if I could trust you." Akara said.  
  
"Trust us!" Hans said with a high pitched voice. Something was obviously bothering him. "How do vee know vee can trust you!"   
  
"Of course we can trust her!" Becky said.  
  
"No one asked me eef I wished to come here." Hans said in a low voice.  
  
Everyone nervously stood there in silence. Akara stared at Hans with a sad look in her face.  
  
"Lighten up Dude." Becky muttered.  
  
"I'm afraid he has every right to be angry." Akara answered sadly. "Yet you seven are this worlds only hope."  
  
Just then Steven spoke up. "But why us. Most of us are just kids. Why not commandos or army dudes?"  
  
"Unfortunately I didn't have a choice on who to bring to our world. The only people who could possibly be transported here were those that played the game you know as Diablo II."  
  
"Well that explains a lot." Fernando said.  
  
  
We stood there for another second till Akara said, "I thank you for clearing the Den of Evil and now I have this to give you." She gave each of us a scroll. "These scrolls explain the skills of your character class and what you are capable of learning." Akara spoke. "Study them and you will all become great warriors."   
  
"You will find that you will learn most of your skills by yourself." She continued. "It is up to you to decide what skills you will learn. Feel free to practice outside of the encampment in the clearing next to the creek."  
  
  
Then she looked at me. "You have already learned the ice spell, haven't you?" Everyone looked up from their scrolls at me and I began to get nervous. I remembered how I had somehow frozen the Shaman. "Yes." I began. "How did you know about that?"  
  
Everyone focused his or her attention on her now instead of me. But she simply smiled not answering.  
  
"I was wondering about that um . . . Anna, right?" She asked me. I nodded. "Well how did you do that? That was awesome!"  
  
Again everyone's attention focused back at me and I gulped nervously. I shrugged uncomfortably. "I don't know." I answered. "I just thought about freezing the monster . . . and tilted my staff just like I do for the firebolt spell . . . and you saw what happened." I stammered.   
  
"The power of the mind, eh?" Fernando joked.  
  
We all laughed nervously but in good humor.   
  
"Does that mean we just have to think of a different skill and then we some how learn it." Steven said his voice high pitched.   
  
Akara looked up at him seriously. "I'm afraid it won't always be that easy. Every person learns differently. I cannot exactly say why the sorceress has learned another skill without practicing."  
  
"Good job, Anna." Hans said behind me. I looked over to him and he smiled at me. It was good to know he wasn't mad anymore.  
  
"Yeah nice one!" Fernando said and gave me a high five.  
  
"Perhaps you could teach us something Anna." Ron said. And we all traveled to the front of the camp.  
  
Kashya stopped us on the way glaring at us fiercely. "I have heard of your deeds in the cave. I objected when Akara wished to bring you here, but now I have a quest for you . . ." she said menacingly. I gulped nervously intimidated by her.   
  
"Yeah! And what is it?" Becky said challengingly returning Kashya's glare. Becky stood close to Kashya with her arms crossed waiting for the Rogue's answer. We all stood in back of Becky dumbfounded with what was going on.   
  
"My scouts have reported an abomination in the monastery graveyard. There is a corrupted Rogue captain there, named Blood Raven. If you truly want to help us, kill her and I shall give you a reward." She explained harshly.  
  
"I guess we have no choice than to accept this quest." Ron muttered.  
  
  
"Who exactly is this Blood Raven?" Fernando asked. Kashya snarled at him. He backed up nervously. "It's just a question."   
  
"She used to be a great Rogue belonging to our sisterhood, if you must know." Kashya said annoyed. "Unfortunately Andariel has somehow enlisted Blood Raven into her ranks." Kashya said a little more seriously.  
  
"Who's And-ar-eel-eal?" Steven said stumbling over the name.  
  
Kashya sighed annoyed. "This is why we shouldn't have brought outsider's to our world!" She muttered to no one in particular except herself. "I will tell you know more." She said suddenly looking really tired. "All I ask is for you to kill Blood Raven. She is all I'm concerned about for the moment."  
  
She turned away from us.   
  
"That was uh . . . interesting." Fernando muttered. "You know I have a feeling she doesn't like us too much."  
  
"She doesn't have to be such a bitch about it." Becky added.   
  
"I agree with Hans. We were brought here against our will. We do not have to help anybody if we don't want to." Steven said and we all looked surprised at him. Hans eyed us proudly and Fernando patted Steven on the back.   
  
"Of course we have to help them." Fernando said. "I know." Steven muttered. "I just don't know how I can help. You saw how much help I was back in the cave."  
  
"Oh cheer up!" Becky said a little harshly. "You're the only one who can raise those skeletons from the dead. That in itself is just awesome, in a creepy kind of way."  
  
"She's right." Fernando said and we all patted Steven on the back muttering our approval.  
  
Warriv interrupted us then. He was holding a bundle of what looked like brown bags. "I would like to give you each these as a token of my gratitude for coming to our world." He announced and handed each of us a leather backpack.   
  
"Cool." Becky said.  
  
"Thank you." Leigh said and we all echoed her.   
  
"I figured you might need them on your travels in case you find anything useful."  
  
Then Warriv smiled proudly and went back over to the fire to warm his hands.  
  
  
Finally Ron said, "Let us practice like Akara advised and then we can go kill this . . . Blood Raven."  
  
"Vait a minute." Hans interrupted and Ron looked wearily over to him.  
  
"Thes Blood Raven es human. It es not like killing monsters, ess it like murder?"  
  
We all thought about it for a while.   
  
"I guess we'll have to see what happens when we confront her." Ron said not being able to think of anything else to say. "Right now I just want to see if I can learn any new moves. My scroll says I can learn to cast some type of auras or something. Now that would be cool to learn."   
  
Hans said nothing and looked down at his own scroll. When he saw me looking at him he held up his scroll and said, "I almost forgot about these."  
  
We all made our way to the outside of the camp, around the back by the creek to attempt to learn any new skills. I had a feeling no one really knew what he or she was doing because I certainly didn't. Somehow I had already learned an ice spell and I didn't even know how I did it.   
  
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How's that for another long chapter. I must admit this story is very entertaining for me as I pretend to be there with the group and experiencing the same things they are. Hans and Becky are turning out to be quite the characters. Man I'm good. At least I hope I am. I leave it up to ya'll to decide. If this chapter stinks, tell me and I will change it or not. Not all chapters can be glorious as I say to myself, but I hope you enjoyed and thank you for keeping up with this story. I'm curious to know who your favorite character may be though I haven't gotten around to describing all of them yet.   
  
If you see any mistakes tell me. Maybe I typed this chapter too fast. But tell me what you think anyway.  
  
: ) 


	5. The Corrupted

Still this story lives on. . . .   
  
"It Was More Than Just a Game."   
  
Part 5  
  
By none other than RedLady. (Hi y'all.)  
  
______________________________________________________________________________  
  
We trudged to clearing besides the camp next to the creek. We were going to practice and I had  
a lot on my mind. There were so many names and places and customs that I didn't know about.   
Even our clothes differed from the inhabitants of this world.  
  
We all just stood there for a moment not knowing what to do.   
  
"What are we supposed to do?" Becky finally asked looking to Ron for guidance.  
  
"Practice . . ." He shrugged. "I guess." He added and began waving his sword around the best  
way he knew how since I figured he had never held a sword before. Becky who had gotten a  
hold of a bow from Charsi began to practice shooting it at a stump on the ground. Steven sat  
looking bored in a log summoning and unsummoning a skeleton; its bones forming the skeletal  
structure of a man and then falling into a pile of bones just to form again. It looked fun but was  
scary to watch.   
  
Leigh was over by herself in a corner of the field going through some sort of martial arts  
exercise. Fernando not knowing what else to do was jogging around the camp. Hans simply sat  
next to Steven on a tree log. I went over to him.  
  
"You're not going to practice?" I asked trying to sound cheerful.   
  
He looked at me annoyed. "This ees stupid." He muttered resting his head in his hand. "Vee  
are young. Vee are not warriors." He stated. I looked down. I knew he was right. Defeating the  
monsters in the cave seemed like a miracle. I didn't know how we were could defeat an evil  
monster/demon like Diablo if no one in this world could do it.   
  
Fernando ran up and sat next to us. "This is just like P.E." He announced breathlessly with  
sweat running down his face. He took off his shirt and walked over to the creek dumping his  
head into the water. He raised his head as the water ran down his neck and out of his black hair.   
Leigh ran over to him laughing.   
  
"You laughing at me?" Fernando accused humorly.   
  
"Why you do that?" She asked giggling.   
  
"I was hot!" He argued. She simply giggled as Fernando began to shake his head back and forth  
slinging water onto Leigh. She screamed girlishly. And they both stared at each other laughing  
oblivious to the rest of us staring at them.  
  
"Are you two done flirting?" Becky interrupted. They both turned toward her embarrassed.   
Fernando put his shirt back on and slipped his leather armor over his head shivering. "What?"   
He said jokingly. "Practice over?"  
  
"I guess we should go on our next quest." Ron said reluctantly.   
  
"Why?" Fernando said in good humor. "I want to continue practicing . . ." He said cheerfully.  
  
"Learn a new skill yet?" Becky asked.  
  
"Well . . ." Fernando thought. "I can run real fast and jump real high. (I was on the track team.)   
Does that count as a skill."  
  
Becky simply shrugged.  
  
"Better to run away, huh?" Fernando continued to joke. Leigh laughed, but stopped  
embarrassed when nobody else did.   
  
Ron patted Fernando on the back. "Every bit counts." He muttered and immediately a blue light  
formed around Fernando. We all stared at him, jumping back in fright. Fernando looked down  
at himself in shock.   
  
"Whoa! Ron, what did you do?"   
  
Ron looked at Fernando in surprise and looked down at his scroll. "It's an aura!" He explained.   
"I think . . . One of my skills . . . I think. I've somehow learned a new skill." He concluded. "I  
see what you mean Anna." He continued, looking my way. ". . . about simply thinking of a skill  
and then somehow magically learning how to perform it."   
  
"Well I know how to work this bow and arrow thing now. Charsi told me Amazons are known  
for their archery like the Rogues. . ." Becky explained wanting to be in the spotlight.   
  
She aimed at the tree stump and let her arrow fly. Unfortunately it landed a foot away from the   
target. "I guess I need a little more practice." She muttered and shot at the stump again. This  
time the arrow hit the tree stump and bounced off.  
  
"Cool." Steven muttered.  
  
"So?" Fernando began. "You wanna go kill this Blood Raven Dude?"  
  
"I guess we are done practicing for today." Ron instructed but Fernando had already begun to  
walk away from the camp.   
  
"You coming?" Ron asked us as he began to go after Fernando.   
  
Hans made a strange face. I realized that he had not learned a skill yet. We all followed  
Fernando into the wilderness to kill the once-human Blood Raven.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
Traveling through the wilderness towards the graveyard in which Blood Raven resided was  
another horrible experience. A Rogue who introduced herself as Flavie directed us toward the  
graveyard. Killing monsters was one thing, but killing corrupted Rogues was another. They  
weren't like zombies in that they had lost most of their human features. The corrupted Rogues  
had retained most of the same qualities they had when they were human. The detail on their  
grey and rotting skin made them look almost human from far away. Only their red glowing eyes  
told that they were not quite human, anymore.  
  
Immediately after meeting Flavie a group of five Corrupted Rogues ran up to us. We were all  
startled when they began to attack us because they seemed so human.  
  
"What are they doing?" I yelled mistaking them for human beings. They moved so fast it was  
hard to get a close look at them. The sun was blotted out by the clouds making my mistake even  
more understandable. Without meaning too I shot an ice bolt into the group of Rogues freezing  
one. The others ignored their disable comrade and continued to try and attack us. Flavie joined  
us and was the only one who wasn't surprised. She began to shoot at them and I looked at her  
questioning.  
  
"Are they possessed?" Becky asked as she blocked one of the Rogue's spears with her javelin.   
Ron was trying to block another Rogue's spears with his sword.   
  
"They look evil to me." Fernando said jumping out of the way of a spear.   
  
Flavie continued to shoot at the Rogues. The Rogue that had been stunned by my attack became  
unfrozen and joined in the attack seemingly unaffected by my freezing. Steven had fearfully  
summoned a skeleton which attacked the group of Rogues head on.  
  
The skeleton took out one Rogue and Flavie took out another. They both screamed in agony as a  
faint ghost like figure erupted from their bodies and floated into the heavens. Ron and Becky  
followed Flavie's example and took out two more Rogues. Steven's skeleton was able to disable  
the last Rogue before losing life itself and Flavie killed it with her bow. The rest of us had  
stayed behind and not fought, stunned by what had just taken place. Five bodies lay before us  
and I felt no better than as if I had just watched a murder taken place.  
  
"Why did you kill them?" I yelled in distress not able to contain myself. I looked to Flavie for  
an answer. She had meanwhile bowed before the five bodies.  
  
"Calm down. They were trying to kill us first." Becky said defending the Rogue.   
  
"But weren't they human?" I asked still not sure if we had killed real humans or just forms of  
ones. Tears formed in my eyes for a reason I didn't understand. Hans put his hand on my  
shoulder for comfort. Flavie looked up at me, sorrow in her face.   
  
"They were human at one time. Some of them were my close friends but they were all my  
sisters." She bowed her head once more before the bodies. "Unfortunately they have been  
corrupted and the only way to release them from their torture is . . ." She let her words hang.   
  
"There is no other way?" I asked almost hysterically.   
  
"Yeah? Can't you use magic or something?" Fernando added.  
  
"It is not that easy." Flavie said shaking her head sadly. "Their body is already dead. It is their  
soul which is trapped and used for evil." She said in a low voice.   
  
"I don't understand . . ." Hans spoke for all of us. It seemed unfair for these warriors to be used  
to fight against there friends.  
  
"I don't understand it either completely. All I can tell you is to kill the evil in our land." She  
said sadly and got to her feet. "You are our last hope outlanders."   
  
She looked at us each in the eye and walked back to her guarding spot.   
  
"All vey tell us ess to kill." Hans muttered bitterly.  
  
"Are you just gonna leave the bodies here?" I yelled at her in disbelief.   
  
"I will give them a proper burial at dusk." She answered not looking back at me. And she would  
say no more She looked like Kashya in the way she stood with he arms crossed and a sour look  
on her face. I turned away from her feeling disturbed.  
  
We trudged on our way in silence. More clouds covered the sun making the area match our  
moods. More Rogues attacked us on the way to the graveyard. Ron put an aura around us all.   
Steven summoned another skeleton. I think Leigh fought harshly throwing punches and kicks  
with balls of light forming around her. Fernando was able to quickly dodge out of the way of  
one Rogue's spear and then quickly bonk her on the side with his spear. He was fast for his  
large size.  
  
I think I froze a couple f Rogues, but I wasn't really paying attention. I was horrified of killing  
the corrupted Rogues that I seemed to have drifted out of myself. It was as if I was watching  
myself in third person. Hans didn't fight much either. He would occasionally hit at a Rogue that  
came to close. I guess he was worried about me because he never took his eyes off me.   
  
I was in the "trance" until we finally got to entrance to the Monastery Graveyard. There, Blood  
Raven was waiting for us.  
  
"Join my army of the dead!" She yelled in a booming voice which echoed throughout the tomb  
stones. Immediately zombies tore themselves out from under the ground. I gasped as we all eyed  
the zombies in fear.   
  
Leigh stepped forward and threw something onto the ground. When the zombies stepped  
forward they immediately cringed as electricity surrounded them.   
  
"I learn it." Leigh explained and we all rushed forward to fight.  
  
Chaos followed. Zombies seemed to pop out from the ground everywhere. Arrows zoomed past  
our heads from the one named Blood Raven.   
  
"She is raising the zombies from the dead!" Steven yelled recognizing his soon to be power.   
They he hid behind us in fear and let his skeleton fight before us.  
  
Eventually we all got split up in the graveyard. Between fighting zombies and Blood Raven we  
all tried our different approaches. Soon I found myself alone in the middle of the graveyard. I  
heard my comrades in the distance fighting. Then I saw her . . . the fearful Rogue called Blood  
Raven.  
  
She stepped out in front of me. She seemed bigger than the other corrupted Rogues and  
stronger. I knew she had already been hit a couple of times through my friends attacks. She was  
fast and able to dodge most of our attacks. The Rogue had run from person to person throughout  
the graveyard releasing arrows their way. And now it was my turn.   
  
I let loose many ice bolts from my staff and she dodged out of the way. But one hit her. She  
was only frozen for a second. When she became unfrozen, she seemed more vengeful than  
before. Her eye's glowed bright red and she raised her bow to shoot at me. I froze with fear as I  
looked into her eyes as if she had put me under some sort of spell. I cringed as she pulled the  
string back on her bow ready to shot me at reasonably close range.  
  
Then suddenly the vines beneath her feet began to move and wrapped themselves around her  
ankles, pulling her down. The arrow flew harmlessly over head and Hans walked up from  
behind me concentrating on Blood Raven. I realized it was he who was somehow controlling the  
plants.   
  
"Freeze her!" He ordered and I did as I was told. An arrow imbedded itself into Blood Raven's  
side from Becky's bow as she ran up to us ready to shoot again. Fernando threw his spear into  
her other side and ran up to us from the opposite direction of Becky.   
  
Soon we had all gathered around the Corrupted Rogue Captain, now a mess of plants and ice  
with an arrow and spear sticking out of her. We all formed a circle around her and she glared at  
us waiting for the final blow that would end her life.   
  
"Put her out of her misery . . ." Becky whispered. I looked fearfully around at everyone. It felt  
as if we were about to perform murder. Time seemed to stop as we all stared down at Blood  
Raven who was now at our mercy. Steven's gulp and Leigh's heavy breathing broke the silence.   
Becky raised her bow to deliver the final blow but Ron beat her to it. He quickly stabbed her in  
the chest.  
  
She continued to glare at us and didn't even scream in agony. Ron pulled out his sword as the  
light in her eyes dimmed and she fell over dead. I glanced at Ron. A change seemed to have  
come over him. His sword dropped to his side and he ran a couple feet away to throw up.   
  
A light erupted from the dead Rogue's body and filled the graveyard. "Rest in Peace." I thought  
grimly. No one said anything, but just stared at the dead body.   
  
Ron walked back to us not saying a word. Leigh gave him a health potion and he looked at her  
questioning. She pointed to his leg which I noticed he suddenly noticed had one of Blood  
Raven's arrows sticking out of it. Big blobs of blood dribbled down his leg and he greedily  
gulped down the potion. His wound halfway disappeared but still a scar remained.  
  
No one else seemed to be as injured as Ron had been. Becky had been nicked by an arrow but  
she had found some armor which had protected her. Leigh was scratched and Fernando's face  
was bruised. I didn't think I was injured but suddenly I felt achy all over.   
  
Ron opened a portal and helped us all through. We said not a word. Kashya seemed to be  
waiting for us as we trudged into the camp and out of the portal.  
  
______________________________________________________________________________  
  
And that's it for today. He, he. I love writing this but I can only write when I'm inspired. And  
who knows when the next time will be. I'm no longer worried about this story. I know this is a  
great story. Oh yeah, I've changed some things. I hope I made a good interpretation of the  
Corrupted Rogues. Thanks for your reviews.  
  
: ) 


	6. Separation

I love this story. If I could, I would hug it. He, he, he.  
  
"It Was More Than Just A Game."  
  
Part 6  
  
By: (You know) Redlady  
______________________________________________________________________________  
  
"You have killed Blood Raven then?" Kashya said as we gathered around her. Kashya had now changed from the annoyed Rogue captain to an older looking woman, slouching as if she carried some great burden on her back.  
  
"Yes." Ron said humbly, blood still stained upon his leg.  
  
"Said she was corrupt. Is there no other way?" Leigh asked.  
  
Kashya looked down.   
  
"You are outlanders to our entire world. I see that you do not know of our culture. I will give you a Rogue free of charge as a mercenary who will be able to teach you of our world. But no, I know of no other way than to kill any corrupted Rogue."  
  
"Let me get your mercenary. I know of one who is young, but able. You should all get along I hope."   
  
And with that she disappeared into a tent and pulled out a young Rogue.  
  
"This is Imalda." Kashya said. "She will help you and fight by your side because I have ordered it."  
  
She was about our age with orangish hair tied tightly back in a high ponytail. She wore a red Rogue outfit with a leather skirt and carefully fitted armor. She gripped tightly upon her bow.  
Kashya left Imalda to us.  
  
"Hi!" Becky said quickly holding out her hand.  
  
"Greetings." She answered and looked at the hand questioningly. Becky put her hand into the Rogue's and shook it violently.  
  
"Its called a handshake. You do it when you first meet someone." Becky explained to the confused Rogue.  
  
  
"I suppose you must teach me of your own culture as I will of ours." Imalda said in one breath. She had a soft voice with some sort of accent I had never heard before. She seemed shy and nervous to be meeting all of us.  
  
"I'm Fernando." Fernando said holding his hand out smiling. She hesitantly took his hand and shook it.  
  
"See! You're learning all ready." Becky said looking proudly on as the Rogue shook Fernando's hand.  
  
"I'm Steven." Steven quickly said. Her eyes widened with fear.  
  
"You are a Necromancer?" She asked. He blushed. "Yes, why do you ask?"  
  
"We talk about you in our children's tales as dark and evil raising the dead to kill the living."  
  
"Don't worry." Fernando ensured. "He's only a beginner though he can raise this nifty skeleton dude--somehow."  
  
Imalda shook his hand hesitantly.  
  
After we had all introduced ourselves we went to Akara to be healed.   
  
"Does it ever stop raining here?" Becky asked in frustration pulling her leather armor closer to her as a rain cloud released it's fury.  
  
Akara met us without her usual smile. Perhaps she could sense our mood.   
  
"It is clear that we are facing an evil greater than imagined." She began.  
  
Hans snorted.   
  
"Well duh!" Becky said.  
  
"Ms. Akara excuse me for interrupting, but you said we could get out of this place if we defeat Diablo right?" Fernando said raising his hand  
  
Tears welled in my eyes from worry. How could we ever defeat Diablo? No one seemed to notice as I wiped my face probably making the dirt and rain smear even more. I didn't know that Hans was watching.  
  
"That was the original deal yes." Akara answered. "But I fear Diablo is doing things worse than ever imagined. Even after his death we may still need your help."  
  
"Do vee have no choice then?" Hans spoke.  
  
  
"Vee do as you bid and when you think every evil thing in thes vorld is killed, you vil decide to let us leave?" Hans continued huffily.  
  
"It is not I who can decide when you wish to leave." Akara said sternly. "But there is one who may be able to help you."  
  
"Who?" Steven said leaning forward. He blushed when everyone looked at him from his outburst.  
  
"A Deckard Cain." Akara answered.  
  
"Hey, I know who he is!" Becky shouted. "He was in the first game. He stood by the well all the time!"  
  
"Where ees he?" Hans asked.  
  
"Want to leave so soon?" Fernando asked Hans sarcastically.  
  
Hans gave him a dark look.   
  
"Unfortunately he is now trapped in Tristram. It is up to you to save him." Akara answered.   
  
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -   
  
We all trudged outside of the Encampment. Imalda seemed to be the only one eager for battle. We traveled for quite sometime in silence. Everyone had their weapons ready but nothing seemed to move for miles. Everything was silent. Only the distant thunder rolled in the sky as the storm decided to move elsewhere.  
  
We were setting off to find the tree of Inifus, which would somehow help us open a portal to Tristram since it was many miles away. Nobody knew if Cain was still alive. But I hoped he was for all our sakes. I couldn't imagine myself living here for the rest of my life.  
  
Ron led the way. Finally Fernando stopped him. "I think we should split up." He said. Ron shook his head. "We are safer if we stick together."  
  
"Vee only stick together vhen valking!" Hans exclaimed. "When vee were fighting Blood Raven, where were you den?"   
  
Ron gulped, but stood stern. "We are sticking together." He said stubbornly.  
  
"Then lets go this way." Fernando suggested.   
  
"I think the tree is this way. Akara said it was almost directly West of the camp. First we gotta find this underground passage which leads to the area with the tree." Ron answered.  
  
  
"How do you know that is West? We have no idea where the sun is." Fernando said looking in the clouded sky.  
  
"You are all wrong!" Hans shouted. "The sun may be different in thes vorld than een our own!"  
  
"We ask Imalda." Leigh suggested and everyone looked at the mercenary.  
  
Imalda swallowed uncomfortably.  
  
"I believe the Paladin speaks the truth." She began. "If memory serves me well, then the Tree of Inifus must be this way." She said stumbling over the words.  
  
I expected Ron to smile smugly, but he simply looked at Fernando to hear his reply.  
  
"I still think we should split up." Fernando said ignoring the Rogue. "Then we would find it faster."  
  
"Alright." Ron announced. "Who wishes to follow me." Ron challenged. Becky stood by his side. Imalda stood on his other. No one moved to follow.  
  
Ron sighed when no one moved. "All right we split up. But only to find the Tree of Inifus. We are going to Tristram together, Ok?" Everyone agreed.   
  
"If you find the Tree, meet back in town." Ron instructed. "And be careful." He warned wearily. He looked back at us once more, and then continued in the direction he originally planned to go, with Becky and Imalda following him.  
  
"Alright!" Fernando said rubbing his hands together. "Who says we can find the tree before he can?" He said smiling. Leigh clapped her hands giddishly. Steven smiled up at Fernando.   
  
"Let's go." Fernando said. And Leigh, Steven and I began to follow him.  
  
"Are you coming bro?" Fernando asked Hans who stayed put. Hans shook his head and turned away.  
  
Fernando shrugged and walked off in the opposite direction as Ron.   
  
I stayed behind to follow Hans.  
  
"What's wrong Hans?" I asked approaching him uncertainly.  
  
"You know Anna!" He said a little harshly. "Everyone argues about what direction vee should go. They think it ess all just a game."  
  
"I don't think everybody thinks that. I don't think that." I answered.   
  
  
"Well maybe I do." I said changing my mind. "It is sort of a game, but it's not." I continued not knowing how to explain myself.  
  
"I guess it is a game in that we have to play in order to get out of this place." I said breathlessly.  
  
"Yes, you might be right." He answered as the new thought came into his mind. "Yet with all the tasks we have to do it makes it seem more like a chore than a game." Hans thought allowed.  
  
"Our main goal is to fight Diablo." I said softly feeling the tears of worry begin to built up.  
  
"But no one knows where he is..." Hans stated.  
  
"And we are stuck fighting his minions." I finished. "So until we find Diablo we are stuck playing this...game." I added quickly banishing any overflow of tears.  
  
Hans nodded deep in thought and looked up when I wiped my eyes.  
  
"I suppose the only thing we can do is follow along and hope we don't get killed." I added quickly putting my hands to my side so he wouldn't know I had almost been about to cry.  
  
He simply sighed in response and looked away.  
  
"Lets just look for that Tree of Infus or whatever it is called." I suggested.  
  
He frowned. "Alright." He agreed.  
  
We trudged on for a while not running into any monsters. The clouds began to darken making the woods seem spooky with shadows.   
  
We walked side by side in silence. I heard some rustling in the bushes and gulped as we walked past. From behind us I heard a scream and turned to see a lone Fallen waving it sword at us.  
  
Hans chuckled as it stood their eyeing us wondering if it should attack or not. Suddenly we found ourselves surrounded by Fallen. They laughed evilly and waved their swords.  
  
"It's a trap." Hans muttered.  
  
"An ambush." I agreed and shot a ice bolt at the nearest Fallen. They all attacked at once and chaos ensued. One jumped on me knocking me down. I pushed it away and received a hit to the face. I jumped up and thought of how I hadn't learned a lightning spell yet. And tilting my staff forward little jolts of lightning shot out from my staff and surrounded a near enemy. I had somehow performed the charged bolt spell.   
  
  
The little red monster fell to the ground in pain as electricity sizzled around it. But the other monsters ignored my attack and again jumped upon me knocking me backwards. My staff fell out of my hand and I held my hands fearfully over my face as the little monsters walked on me attempting to stab me with their swords.  
  
I heard a growl next to me and figured another monster had joined the ambush. Suddenly all the monsters were tossed off and I looked up to see a contorted wolf face looking down at me. Screaming I pushed it away trying to send out lightning and ice with my bare hands. The wolf monster grabbed my hands tightly and held me down so I couldn't struggle. I looked up at the monster fearful of what it might do. Somehow it looked familiar...   
  
Then I realized that the eyes resembled Han's eyes. I gasped as I realized that it was Hans! "Hans!" I whispered. And he smiled a wolf smile showing off his very sharp teeth. He released me and helped me upon my feet. I gulped as his sharp claws on his fingers were only inches away from my skin.  
  
I gazed at him up and down. Fur covered nearly all his body like clothes. He had bald splotches upon his legs, neck, and arms. His fur was the same color as his dirty blond hair. I was ashamed that I did not recognize him earlier.  
  
"Hans, is this one of your skills?" I asked.  
  
He nodded his big snout going up and down.  
  
"Can you talk?"   
  
He smiled but shook his head back and forth. He ran away grabbing a bundle from the ground and hid behind some bushes.  
  
I wondered what he was doing. "Hans?" I yelled confused. I heard him russling behind the bushes.  
  
"Do not come." He yelled back.  
  
I wrinkled my brow in confusion.  
  
"Why not?" I said and began walking to his hiding place anyway.  
  
I came upon him pulling on his shirt. He was human now. He looked at me and for the first time I could see that he was embarrassed.  
  
"What are you doing?" I asked very confused.  
  
"I have not learned to transvorm vith clothes." He answered sheepishly.  
  
Then I realized that it was his clothes that he must have grabbed and he had changed behind the bushes.  
  
I blushed in embarrassment. I turned away though he was already fully dressed besides his shoes which he pulled on quickly.  
  
He stood by me and I didn't dare look at him. He looked sideways at me.  
  
"In the confusion I transvormed so quickly that I . . ."  
  
"You don't have to explain!" I said quickly feeling awkward.  
  
"Next time I vill get eet right." He promised then laughed. "Vhat a strange situation." He said laughing to himself. I laughed nervously next to him.  
  
"Vell, let us look for this tree." Hans announced. "I don't think vee vil find it, but at least vee can say vee looked for eet."   
  
And he began to walk off. I followed behind him wondering what would have happened if he did not go behind the bushes to change. I banished the thought as I heard the familiar cries of fallen ahead.  
  
We snuck up to them quietly. There were a group of what looked like blue fallen sitting inside a group of five stones. Later Akara had told me they were called Carvers though I wasn't really interested in the names of all the monsters whom I had helped kill.  
  
"Thees must be the stones Akara spoke of." Hans whispered. "They remind me of Stonehenge." He added.  
  
I nodded in agreement. "But there are many monsters there." I said.  
  
He looked at me and touched my cheek. I could see blood on his hand and felt my cheek. Sure enough when the fallen had attacked us earlier they had hit me in the cheek. It felt tender; perhaps I would have a bruise there.  
  
"Take a potion." Hans ordered. I had nearly forgotten about potions. I took out one of the small red bottle from my pack. Only one more left. I gulped it down and put my hand to my cheek as I felt the wound magically disappear. Hans placed his hand over mine and then looked toward the monsters.  
  
"Vee vill clear dem out." Hans announced and instantly transformed into his wolf-like shape. It was strange because his transformation was instant. One moment I was looking upon Hans as a human and the next as a wolf.  
  
  
And then he charged into battle without warning. Howling loudly he ran swiftly to the group of monsters. They jumped up in fear upon hearing his howl. Immediately he was among them slashing at them with his claws. But there were at least three of the monster's Shaman there. And they were busy raising the dead. So once Hans had killed one, it would be risen from the dead a second later.   
  
I concentrated on the Shaman from afar. And then I let loose many bolts of lightning directed to the three Shaman who stood by each other chanting their spells that would raise their followers from the dead again. The lightning surrounded each of them as they cringed in pain. But it only disabled them for a second. Soon they were back again raising the Fallen and occasionally shooting fireballs into the fight with Hans against the Carvers.  
  
I crept closer. I could see Hans was getting tired. Quickly I ran toward them letting loose icebolt after ice bolt upon them. Some shot harmlessly past them, but one did hit its target and the Shaman instantly froze. I continued to shoot icebolts at the Shaman and soon it broke into many ice shards. The other two Shamans now focused their attention on me.  
  
They both shot fireballs at me and I returned with ice bolts. The fireball and the icebolt hit each other and instantly disappear proving our spells to be a draw. One Shaman raised a dead fallen behind me and I was forced to quickly kill him with my ice bolt spell. It seemed that once the monsters broke into a thousand ice shards and melted on the ground, they could not be risen again.   
  
I again shot ice bolts at one of the Shaman. The other Shaman shot fireballs at me and I cringed as they hit me and burned my skin. But still I shot it at the other Shaman. It broke into ice shards and that just left me and the remaining Shaman left. I attempted to shoot another ice bolt at the Shaman, but the staff didn't work.  
  
I tried again and only a tiny little shot of ice fell from it too the ground. I remembered reading about how the spells use some sort of energy or mana from your own body. "I must be out of mana." I wondered confused and instead hit the Shaman with my staff. I flew backwards and I looked inside my pack. I didn't have any blue potions that would give you more mana or energy. But I found a pack of orange ones which I had picked up and forgot about. I had ten bottles. They each said, "Exploding potion."  
  
I screamed as another fireball hit my side and I remembered the remaining Shaman. I threw one of the bottles toward it. It burst into flame at its feet and the Shaman leaped back frightfully. I began throwing the bottles one by one. Most of them missing or landing at his feet.  
  
I was out of exploding potions and out of mana. I took my last potion as the burns halfway disappeared. Then Hans ran up behind me and slashed the scared Shaman with his claws. It fell backwards dead with blood running down its neck.  
  
I looked at Hans as a wolf and he stared back at me. The suddenly he was transformed back to human. Luckily with his clothes on this time.   
  
He smiled. "I told you I vould get it right." He said.  
  
I smiled relieved that he wouldn't have to change behind a bush every time.   
  
"Let us get back to the camp and vait for everybody. Vee can tell them vee have found the stones that open the portal to Tristram where Cain ees." Hans said.  
  
He withdrew a scroll that opened a portal to town and we walked through it together shoulder to shoulder.  
  
______________________________________________________________________________  
  
So what do you say? Leave a review and let me know! 


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